title: The twin-arginine signal peptide of Bacillus subtilis YwbN can direct either Tat- or Sec-dependent secretion of different cargo proteins: secretion of active subtilisin via the B. subtilis Tat pathway.
abstract: Proteins that are produced for commercial purposes in Bacillus subtilis are commonly secreted via the Sec pathway. Despite its high secretion capacity, the secretion of heterologous proteins via the Sec pathway is often unsuccessful. Alternative secretion routes, like the Tat pathway, are therefore of interest. Two parallel Tat pathways with distinct specificities have previously been discovered in B. subtilis. To explore the application potential of these Tat pathways, several commercially relevant or heterologous model proteins were fused to the signal peptides of the known B. subtilis Tat substrates YwbN and PhoD. Remarkably, the YwbN signal peptide directed secretion of active subtilisin, a typical Sec substrate, via the B. subtilis TatAyCy route. In contrast, the same signal peptide directed Tat-independent secretion of the Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase (AmyL). Moreover, the YwbN signal peptide directed secretion of SufI, an Escherichia coli Tat substrate, in a Tat-independent manner, most likely via Sec. Our results suggest that cytoplasmic protein folding prior to translocation is probably a major determinant of Tat-dependent protein secretion in B. subtilis, as is the case with E. coli. We conclude that future applications for the Tat system of B. subtilis will most likely involve commercially interesting proteins that are Sec incompatible.
authors.affiliation: Genencor, a Danisco Division, Archimedesweg 30, 2333 CN Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marc A B
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kolkman
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van der Ploeg
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bertels
authors.forename: Maurits
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: Joop
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Laan
authors.forename: Jan Maarten
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: van Dijl
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D021381:Protein Transport; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020860:Subtilisin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D000516:alpha-Amylases; D020860:Subtilisin